To Grab
by TheOriginalSnakeEyes
Summary: Mugenjou has been infected from the outside. Power struggles are a funny thing.
1. Bugged

Disclaimer: I'm swimming in something…don't think its money though…you get the idea.

Authors Notes: I should most likely be getting back to Dominus Grim, but this story just struck me…I figured what the hell? As a side note; this story is Alternate Universe and takes place not long after Ginji took control of Lower Town.

To Grab

Chapter One: Bugged

To those who may think or are under the assumption that the Government of Japan or of any nation for that matter would stand idly by while someone or something else was assuming power, one has only to say "Look at History" and you're given your answer to that generality.

Case in point: Mugenjou, the place in Shinjuku, Tokyo considered by many and all a dead land. A no man's land fit for only the truest dregs of humanity. A place with a hierarchy made of unwritten rules and regulations that no one on its borders and more directly on the outside could ever understand. Within this land, a new system of power has taken shape. A man considered by his followers a deity, has taken three other lesser spirits under his wing, as well as one other. Mugenjou has a new ruler, its denizens have someone to worship and look to for hope.

This does not mean however, that the world outside of Mugenjou has stopped moving. That is the assumption most of its population has mistakenly followed, even going so far as to foolishly believe that by somehow being within the barriers of Lower Town, being watched over by the Ghosts of Babylon, being haunted by the monsters of the Belt Line, that they are in some capacity immune to the passage of time, that what happens outside the holy walls factors not in their lives, but rather in the lives they used to have.

No, that is the simple answer to that. Time marches on no matter who or what one conceives themselves to be. To some that is sad, to others that is a relief that all men, women, and children are placed under some kind of intangible equality. That does not matter either; Mugenjou is essentially a place for those who wish to survive without society. It's a gift from Heaven and Hell for those who tire of society and its' incessant strain, for those who wish to sit back in a world while still part of their old one, but just observe as opposed to participate.

It's a world apart, but a part of the world nonetheless. And in both worlds right now, it's raining hard.

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The Beast master was not in the best of worlds right now. Only a few days ago he had just been instated as a king underneath a Lightning Lord and only just now was the sector given to him to safeguard was under apparent attack. As given his heritage as one of the last Mariudo, Shido Fuyuki was only for a moment alone as he jumped from rooftop to rooftop.

"What? Damn it. The whole building huh, shit." He mumbled tersely to the Sparrow that had just landed on his shoulder. He was about to ask it to go out again for one last reconnaissance but seeing that the flight in the heavy rain had worn it out, Shido instead gave it a single pat. This was a non-audible thanks and message to go and rest. With the Sparrow just a blur in the grayish-black sky, Shido was free to sail from building to building until he reached his destination.

The building, which had been up until that point been used as a school of sorts for the younger set of Mugenjou or those with the urge to learn something besides the harsh lessons Lower Town itself taught, was now in flames. Oddly enough the tongues of flames were not having the best of effects on the metal bone structure; rather, they were making it collapse at an alarming rate. The last of those in the building, the others dead or gone, were now out of the parameters and scattered into the rest of the broken rain. There, remained only one outside the building, watching the flame like a curious moth with his hands pocketed.

"Hey! What the hell happened here?" Shido said, not expecting an answer by his mere presence after being given his title so soon before. The man watching the fire looked at the flame for a few seconds more and then at Shido, through his wrap around jet black sunglasses.

"The building burned down." Shido was about to ask him to elaborate until he realized the absurdness of his reply.

"What! I asked you a simple question and-"

"I gave you a simple answer Mr. Mariudo." The man answered walking off slowly. Not used to, and rather not liking being disrespected, Shido rushed his apparent opponent, grabbed the lapels of his ratty white T-shirt and slammed him against a wall.

"Who the fuck do you think you are punk?" he said through bear trap shut teeth. Expecting a sign of fear or actually a weeping apology from this man, Shido was a bit surprised to find his new friend breaking his grip so easily.

"I think I'm leaving." Shido was about to grab him again, only to find his arms restrained, as well as legs, his midsection. The cause for this was of all things, wires. Black, white, gray, any and all variety of electrical wires had sprung from the walls and ground of the foot long area to ensnare the Beast Master. Finding himself unable to bring his fingers to his lips for his Beast Whistle, or rather not wanting to as he would rather now beat his new acquaintance to death himself. Shido closed his eyes a moment forgetting the walking form of his opponent to lose himself in the memories of over 100 beast forms, sifting through, finding the perfect one.

"Beast Mimicry: Polar Bear!" he yelled out. Finding that only a few of the wires had broken from the initial surge, Shido began to shift and rock his arms wildly but with a keen eye for planning in an attempt to break the wires.

The assailant, having gained a good twenty foot distance by ambling at that point, looked back. His signal to this was a massive change in nearby aura accompanied by an equally massive roar. With a smile devoid of what a smile should represent, the man continued walking as the heavenly contents of the wires lashed out at a polar bear, bringing it down in the rain soaked misery. Walking a little further, the man brought his eyes to half lids from beneath his lenses cleared his thoughts, save one:

_"This is B1, reporting in."_

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Seconds later, in another sector, this one under the watch of the King known as Thread Master Kazuki, came under bad luck. Though the term "bad luck" is a bit off as about three dozen men and women turned to ash, dust and sludge. Kazuki as fast as he was, showed up to too late.

"What…on Earth?" Kazuki stuttered in awe at the sight ahead of him. The building designated as a safe house for drug addicts in recovery, was now a just christened morgue with piles of dust and death all around.

"Hey pretty boy." Kazuki turned as he felt the breath on his ears, finding no one there, he turned around slowly. Deciding that fear or rather apprehension would be a bad option, Kazuki took off around the parameter of the building; searching for survivors. Meanwhile, on a building two or three stories above Kazuki, a figure in dirty white grinned a shit eaters grin.

_"B2 reporting in."_

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Makubex was not having the best of nights, whereas he would normally be sleeping or at the very most conversing with his fellow kings, he was now searching all of the Infinite Fortress. The reason for this search was a trail of corpses in his sector, where, every living thing was shredded up brutally, almost to the point of animalism. Throats ripped out, arms and legs twisted and broken in horrid directions.

"Damn him, he wasn't even trying to cover his tracks." Makubex said with barely contained anger. Tapping a few keys and going to different camera set ups around the sector, Makubex sighed in frustration as he was yet to find anything.

Somewhere though, where there were no cameras, where the primal basics of Mugenou had yet to be tampered with by the intentions of a young genius, that is where the red trail led. There, chomping and slurping noises could be heard, a man feasting on what was once a man. The creature stopped for a moment, just one, before giving in to basic again.

_"B3 reporting in."_

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"Hey, there he is!" came the synchronized chorus of the mob. The young men with bats, chains and other random implements of destruction rushed the small figure, no more than a boy. The boy in the blue bandanna and scarf made a motion with his mouth, given away by the slight movement of the fabric only to have his attackers turn to dust upon getting within a foots' proximity of him. The boy, in effect having long killed his tongue, could think.

_"B4 reporting in."_

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"Bastards, whoever did this, heartless bastards." Teshimine had to keep a careful eye on his new lord. Acts like this tended to unnerve him. However, Ginji Amano was not the only one slightly irked at the amount of manslaughter apparent in a one night, Makubex was cursing in near silence, citing the importance of an extended guard system. The returning Kazuki as well was angry though visibly aware of the danger this represented, both literally and politically for the new leadership of Lower Town. Shido still hadn't returned.

Misery is never a single act. One more atrocity was needed to cap this off and the Lord delivered.

0000000000

_"B5 reporting in_"the man was dressed in a ratty gi. Its white practically gray now, though with touches of red here and there. His hands and feet bare, again, save for the touches of red; he leaped towards the oncoming group of gangsters. With practiced hands and feet, he murdered each one of them. The ones, who ran, were cut down by currents of hand thrown air.

0000000000

Mugenjou was raining, as was the world outside of its precious borders. Leadership had just been tested and it had also just failed miserably.

To Be Continued

AN: After listening to the Gundam Wing soundtrack, I had to write this. That and also a few quotes from Get Backers itself prompted me. Namely _"Even the National Government refuses to touch it." _Struck me as odd, governments rarely if ever leave anything untouched or uninvestigated and Mugenjou should be no different. Well, hope you enjoyed chapter one of my sordid little saga, now to break open that Get Backers OST.


	2. Borderline Infection

Disclaimer: See Chapter One

Authors Notes: See Bottom.

To Grab

Chapter Two: Borderline Infection

The rain had finally stopped, only now it gave way to an uncharacteristic heat. Puddles, having long evaporated and the moisture of the air gone to vapor; only a dry heat was left in Mugenjou, a dry heat purifying everything in a desert shimmer. The heat was so great, that everything felt weighted under an unseeing eye. Those outside laughed about it, those inside simply hid or didn't care or both.

"Damn it all." Makubex was brought out of his endless typing by this statement from his Lightning Lord.

"What is it Lord?" Makubex asked of his Lightning Lord, who was currently looking out towards the center of the Tokyo skyline.

"…it's nothing…I mean people…people died last night, and we couldn't stop it."

"Raitei, we did everything we could, we put out the fires, fixed the damage and-"Lightning Lord Ginji Amano was in no mood for logic.

"We did nothing Makubex," the blond haired emperor turned towards the boy genius. "If lives are lost we have done nothing!" Makubex felt the air crackle slightly and feared for a moment the safety of his computers files.

"F-forgive me, I simply meant that..." Makubex was at a loss for words until Raitei sighed.

"No, I'm sorry. It's just…we've worked so hard to…and just when-"not being one for speeches Raitei just let it hang there. However, his need for speeches would not be necessary as of this moment.

"My Lord, my lord!" Kazuki Fucchoin the Thread master yelled.

"Kazu, what is it?" Ginji replied not completely sure he was mentally or spiritually ready for more bad news.

"It's Sh…Shido!" Kazuki yelled through his exhaustion having literally run the length of Lower Town. Ginji felt more weight added to his shoulders, weight that he felt he could shift just a bit by keeping his vow as Lord.

"What happened, where's Shido!"

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Down a ways from the current court of Lord Lightning and his Four Kings, Teshimine Takeru was out on patrol. Though the fact that it was off hand "Just go on patrol or something." Order from Ginji gave some slight concern. This being a relatively inactive sector at the moment gave the enigmatic man of Lower Town time to think.

_"It wasn't supposed to be like this. They were supposed to build an order and they were so damn close. What happened? What-"_Teshimine was snapped out of his thoughts by a flick.

Flick, flick, flick. The three trademark sounds of a very crappy lighter.

"Damn, last time I use a lighter called 'Bippo'." The apparent nicotine addict muttered from the top of a pile of old computers. Finally getting his cancer stick to light, the man in a dirty white suit pocketed the lighter and regarded his guest.

"Why hello down there, would you like to solve a riddle?" he asked through puffs of smoke. Teshimine blinked in disbelief.

"Are you serious, do you have any idea what's going on right now?" the elder man asked in a motion quick enough to twirl his earring. The black haired stranger continued smoking for a few more seconds, then on what looked like a whim, jumped down to meet his guest.

"Well, apparently compadre I **don't **know what's going on. Care to enlighten me?" he asked with equally copious amounts disrespect and spite.

"…I take it you're new to this place so I'll be brief, there's been an uprising and…people are dead. So I have to get going." Teshimine said, his chest made a little heavier despite his hard won immunity to death. Having walked away slowly with his new companion slowly, the elder was again surprised by his response.

"People dead, huh? Is that it?" Teshimine turned slowly to find the man still smoking and still smiling a bit.

"That doesn't matter to you?"

"Not really, I mean should it? This place is dangerous; people die in dangerous places, logical, ne?" Teshimine understood the logic perfectly. This would justify he being disgusted by it.

"Who are you?" he asked, already tired of this mans smirking visage.

"My name is," the dirty white suit held for drama, flicking his burnt out cigarette to the ground. "Shake Zilla, the mike ruler, the old schoola, you want a trip I'll bring it to-"Teshimine had already started walking after 'old school'. "Hey, come on! Can't you take a joke?" Teshimine was about to tell him to kindly fornicate off until he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Ichizaki Duo is my name." Teshimine was overcome with a feeling of dread at having this mans hand on his shoulder. Like each of the five fingers was robbing him of time on this Earth. Before he could say anything though Duo removed his hand.

"Ichizaki-San then. Please leave me be." He began walking again, only this time to look up and see Duo in front of him. _"When did he move?" _Teshimine thought in curiosity and mild fear.

"Just call me Duo-Sama, where ya headed?" Duo asked, the grin on his face showing his oddly perfect white teeth. Frustration replacing his mild apprehension, Teshimine decided to take a risk.

"I'm about to report to the new Lord of this place. Come with me if you wish." At that Teshimine walked off towards the Court with Duo almost prancing behind him.

"Lord huh? What's he like? Is it a chick, is she available, does she-"Teshimine was denying himself the right to smack Duo. Two reasons prevailing: it wouldn't be wise to start a fight at this particular junction and the other more prevalent reason being that his new friend Duos' aura reeked of blood both new and old.

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At another sector, came the methodical steps of a boy who feared no ones approach. Though short of stature, the boy wore a bandanna and scarf that covered his head almost completely and left a flowing 'tail' for the breeze to play with.

"Hey…hey!" Wait!" came the warning. "Please stop! You can't go up there!" the boy named Shuu yelled to some one who he wished was his peer. The boy in question did not regard Shuu in the slightest and merely ambled his way at a comfortable pace towards his destination. Shuu could not believe this was happening, Mugenjou or rather, Lower Town had been placed on high alert and all children were to be kept in any of the various forms of 'safe houses' that were placed around the area. But, not only was this boy casually avoiding the warning…but he was also making his way towards the place…that horrid place. "You have to stop for your own saf-"Shuu reached out his hand, thinking if he made some kind of physical contact he could calm the obviously delirious boy. However, when his hand was only a mere pair of inches away from his shoulder, he felt a drop. This drop was within his stomach, like he was dropped from a plane standing on two feet.

"He doesn't like to be touched." Shuu was snapped out of his macabre delusions only to realize the boy was now a good twenty paces ahead of him. Now behind him though, was something equally frightening. A man, well above six feet in height, blond hair to the point of white smeared with red. Sensing blood was not needed for this man as he was covered in it. The man looked down at Shuu with a barely held back contempt. Bending his back, the man leaned his head closer to Shuus'. Slowly baring his teeth to the frightened Shuu, the mans eyes could only be described as an animals knowing the cage is unlocked…and a food piece right outside the door.

Ironically the prey saves itself. In a bizarre act of fear and self preservation, Shuus' mind shut down and caused him to faint. With no interest in a prey that can't even run, the man walked on, his arms fidgeting anxiously in his pockets for a beating throat.

"Mutaku-San, that's not like you to let something live that could have just as easily become food for you." Asked another man who walked in from the branching point of another sector. Oddly enough, the fact that his feet were only covered with dirty wraparound bandages did nothing to hinder his pace on the dangerous grounds. In face the bandages matched his dirty white fighting gi.

"Only humans murder Keito, animals kill in reason." Mutaku said, twitching slightly.

"I fail to see how pleasure overrides passion when it comes to killing. Animals murder, if one thinks logically."

"Animals don't, Keito. Logic is the bastard child here of survivors instinct." The two talked offhanded philosophic like this as they followed the boy with the bandanna towards the Beltline.

0000000000

"Ryaaaaahhhhh!" the twelfth raider fell. Another few strangled electrocutions later and that made a bakers dozen of Beltline raiders charred and dead. The wires that caused this flipped and searched the area for more flesh magnets, finding none; they fell limp to their master. Balancing his wraparound shades the man took a rest on an uprooted refrigerator, using a single wire from the ground to light his cigarette.

"Twelve dead? And this isn't even technically the Beltline, correct?" Keito said, entering with his two compatriots. Surveying the burnt remains the three looked to the only conceivable cause.

"Yeah, this is the dead zone between Lower Town and The Belt Line. About a block and a half where the raiders and those of the lower town both steer clear of," the one with the wires looked around. "Most of the raiders anyway."

"So this is the one place that we can't be watched?" Mutaku asked, sitting on his haunches similar more to a dog than any man. The boy with the bandanna nodded as he sat down, his flowing bandanna tail sitting with him.

"Yes, the kings are too weak to pass the borderline. And it's been established that the 'Raitei' has only been here maybe once or twice…never for extended periods though." The four sat in less than amiable silence for a while, the relief from the heat not lost on them as the blackened walls of wreckage provided a deathly cool to go along with the musty scent of burnt skin. Mutaku twitched again, and looked pointedly at the wire man.

"Get to the fucking point, are you who we're-"he was cut off.

"My name is Iru Morikaizu B1. And the silent boy next to me is Shen Lao Fen B4." Iru looked to the man in the dirty white gi.

"Keito, just Keito. B2." Mutaku gnashed his teeth in an odd patience.

"Mutaku Tachikaizo. B5." The question weighed on them.

"Where's B2?" Iru let out a few puffs of smoke.

"He's Infecting the head."

To Be Continued

Authors Notes: As of late things have been dragging. "Things" being work and school, "dragging" being my lackluster math skills and just lack of any will to do anything. But I'm cool now (or cooler, whichever) so here we are with the next chapter.

Rabid Lola: Thank you very much for reviewing. I'm glad that the characters that have infected their way into Mugenjou have infected into your heart (lame I know, but I'm tired.) I hope you enjoyed this chapter, not a lot of action as of yet…but it's coming. Oh and don't feel bad about reviewing late, I accept all kinds of reviews at all times! I hope your cramming went well (mine sure as hell didn't, senior year is easy my ass).

Atropos' Knife: Thank you once again for reviewing one of my stories and more so for enjoying it! As for the character you mentioned: Kurusu Masaki, I know nothing about him save that he is from Babylon City like Kagami. Any info you have on him will be most welcome! I guess that's what I get for waiting for the dubbed anime and translated manga, huh? I will try to update this and Dominus Grim as often as I can, but please bear in mind I have a few other stories to keep up on as well as a faux life outside the net…really…and I'd rather not subject you or anybody to rushed work.

OK, that was a trip, good night to all and hope you had fun. I'll be back soon, so until then, I'll see you when I see you, whenever the hell that is.


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